If the question was Who was the best batsman at the height of their batting career then its Imran

If the question was Who was the best bowler at the height of their bowling career then the answer is Imran

If the question was Who was the best allrounder (batting and bowling combined) at the height of their allround career then the answer in Botham.

Imrans batting and bowling peaks never really got close to coinciding for any length of time.

For a 5-6 year period Botham was the most destructive allrounder ever to have walked on the planet.

Just take a look at the 100s and 10 wkts in a match and it is obvious that Botham dominated games like no one before or since.

Imran went through phases of being predominently a batsman and other times when he was mainly a bowler. It is only looking at the stats does he look like a 'true' allrounder when all the phases of his career are added together.

One of his phases was the greatest fast bowler on the planet, but Im taking the question to mean as an allrounder so therefore it must be Botham.

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For sheer entertainment and delightful performances, I would have picked Boof.
However, fact remains that he faded away in his 'fat phase', as an earlier member put it so aptly. The Pathan on the other hand went from strength to strength towards the end of his career. He batted well enough to hold his spot as a pure batsman, and showed on occasions that he still was a great (in every sense of the word) bowler even with his battered shin. Imagine losing 2 years worth of bowling to a series of inept medical diagnoses and treatment!

Well Im not the biggest fan of either of the Bothams (Rhinos or not ) but I feel people now look at ITBs over all career stats and will never appreciate how great he was before the first serious injury.

If the question was Who was the best batsman at the height of their batting career then its Imran

If the question was Who was the best bowler at the height of their bowling career then the answer is Imran

If the question was Who was the best allrounder (batting and bowling combined) at the height of their allround career then the answer in Botham.

Imrans batting and bowling peaks never really got close to coinciding for any length of time.

For a 5-6 year period Botham was the most destructive allrounder ever to have walked on the planet.

Just take a look at the 100s and 10 wkts in a match and it is obvious that Botham dominated games like no one before or since.

Imran went through phases of being predominently a batsman and other times when he was mainly a bowler. It is only looking at the stats does he look like a 'true' allrounder when all the phases of his career are added together.

One of his phases was the greatest fast bowler on the planet, but Im taking the question to mean as an allrounder so therefore it must be Botham.

It's a bit broader - at least the way I intended it. Overall, who was the better cricket player. Obviously, thats a bit of a hairy question...but still. They both just happened to be allrounders, the question would be the same if I compared Lilee with Marshall. Who's the overall player, taking into account all phases of the cricket game (batting, bowling, fielding, wicketkeeping if applicable, captaincy, etc).

imran was the better bowler, imran was technically the better batsman of the two, botham the more explosive, botham was a better fielder and catcher, although the records tend to favour botham, i would say imran was the greater cricketer....

Botham was a better batsman, in my opinion. Imran was a useful batsman who contributed well and worked hard, but he was never a matchwinner with the bat, and never made many scores of really daunting size at test level. Botham has more runs, more centuries, and far more matchwinning performances with the bat at test level.

Imran was a better bowler, and by some distance when you consider his comparitive longevity. Botham was an awesome bowler early in his career but dropped off fairly badly, while Imran was consistent throughout and is one of the great fast bowlers in his own right, which you'd have to say Botham isn't.

Botham was obviously a far better fielder, and there's no real contest there.

As all-rounders, I'd say Botham was marginally better at his peak, simply because for a brief period he was almost unparalleled, but Imran obviously maintained his brilliance for far longer and it shows in his statistical record.

Overall I'd probably have Imran in my team first. He contributed well over the length of his career, was a good captain and a dedicated player, none of which you could say about Botham. However, Botham was the truer all-rounder at his peak, in the sense that he could turn a game with both bat and ball, or both, and did so on a fairly regular basis for a few years early in his career, and if it came down to that 79-82 sort of period of Botham's career I'd probably have him over just about anyone.

It's cold on the outside they say
But the cold leaves you clear while the heat leaves a haze

The biggest difference between the two is that Imran was firing on at least one of his cylinders (batting or bowling) throughout his career, and Botham was either dominating in all facets or backpedalling alarmingly.

Also, what Botham contributed through his fielding, Imran did likewise through his captaincy.

"The Australian cricket captain is the Prime Minister Australia wishes it had. Steve Waugh is that man, Michael Clarke is not." - Jarrod Kimber

The biggest difference between the two is that Imran was firing on at least one of his cylinders (batting or bowling) throughout his career, and Botham was either dominating in all facets or backpedalling alarmingly.

Also, what Botham contributed through his fielding, Imran did likewise through his captaincy.

hey

just re-posting my last msg from lara - sachin thread. didnt realize this thread had been on for some time. i was the one who suggested they are equals.

if their final figures show imran in better light check out their stats after 50 tests. botham is ahead.